How to send your pets a love note across the rainbow bridge

A blessing ceremony for animals who have passed to help with grief from the loss of a pet

Offering animal communication as long as I have, I’ve reached a point in my career where it’s becoming a common activity to support pets at the end of their life, who I first communicated with when they were just tiny pups and kittens starting their life with their new families.

Between these first and last conversations, I’ve helped them talk with their people about big and little things, like supporting them through the stresses of moves, unexpected health issues, food prefrecnces, adding new pets to the family, or offering grief support for animal siblings who pass too soon, and changes in the family when kids leave for university.

And… I’ve also had the honor of helping so many of these lifetime clients communicate after they have crossed, giving both them and their humans a safe and sacred way to say goodbye.

My Pet loss altar in the healing studio

Image: Candles burning brightly on my altar in my studio to honor the beloved animal friends and familiars I’ve worked with who’ve made the big transition from this world to the next.

Over the years, I’ve adopted a candle lighting ritual I do when a longtime animal client is about to, or has, passed. It’s a powerful ritual to mark the sacredness of these animals’ lives and the impact they have had on me and the world.

This month, I’ve lit more candles than I can count. A few evenings, there have been two or three candles for two long-time animal clients burning at once on my altar. Animals who have both touched my heart greatly in our conversations and connections.

With so many candles burning bright on my altar this month, I’ve been in deep reflection on the need we intuitive animal lovers have for sacred space to grieve and to honor the special place in our hearts for our animal friends, as too often pet loss grief is unsupported and unrecognized.

Whether an animal friend you have loved has recently crossed, or your heart still tightens a little when you think about a beloved animal who passed away years ago, I invite you to take some cues from the Pagan holiday of Samhain and honor the animals who have blessed your life.

A Samhain blessing ritual for animals who have passed

I’d love to share a simple blessing ceremony to honor the animals who have touched your heart. Animals you’ve loved and lost and who’ve changed you for the better, for the ways they loved, taught and befriended you. This is a ritual you can come back to every Samhain, or whenever you feel you would like to touch base with your animal friend.

To start, place a hand on your heart and a hand on your heart, to help mark this moment as sacred.

Breathe to be in your body, and in the here and now.

Feel your feet on the earth and the support under your body.

Let your breath fill your lungs naturally, let the movement of your breath draw you closer to your heart-center.

Envision each inhalation moving through your lungs and heart-center like a graceful wind, softly opening the chambers, cavities, and doors within your heart that have closed tightly as a result of the grief and loss you have experienced in the past. Envision your inhales bringing in fresh, clean and clear air in.

Let your exhale free the energy that has been trapped within you release in a soft and supported way. Be gentle with yourself. There’s no need to push energy out. Simply give yourself permission to free it, to transform it.

When you are ready, think of a beloved animal who has touched your heart in this life.

And as you breathe in, let your inhale fill your lungs with the gratitude you feel for this animal friend.

As you exhale, let your breath carry this deep gratitude out of your lungs to fill your whole being, body and spirit.

There’s no need to send this energy to your animal friend. Simply let yourself be a beacon of emanating gratitude.

Practice breathing in, nourishing your gratitude, exhaling, extending your gratitude throughout your body and Soul.

Using your inner voice so you can keep this message between you and them, thank your animal friend for their love.

Share with them what they taught you in your time together, and how they have helped you grow and become who you are today.

There is no need to send these words to them. Simply let the energy of your words emanate throughout your whole being, knowing your words will be received.

When you feel ready to finish this ritual, release any images that have come to mind of your animal friend and heart with love, knowing your connection is eternal. Your love is forever.

Sense back into your body and your hands over your heart. Using your voice, say a simple blessing for the animals in your life that are alive and well, be it your current pets or the wild birds and animals of the world. Thank these living animals for sharing the earth with you here in the profoundly rich land of the living.